Let My Heart Reach You
by YuriChan220
Summary: Murakumo goes around wearing a mask. Why? Because she's been called "ugly". She's determined to hide her face for the rest of her life. However, a girl named Shiki doesn't think so. Murakumo's life changes greatly as she falls in love with this girl. AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Let My Heart Reach You**

 **Pairing: Murakumo x Shiki**

 **Genre: Romance/Drama**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Senran Kagura or any of its characters.**

 **Author's Note: So…I've been thinking about this a very long time. And…I decided to finally write a multi-chapter fanfic for these two. I would like to thank Roxius for being the first to pair up those two and having them being my OTP. Hehe~!**

 **So…I know this pairing may not get much attention, but please, give me your thoughts on this. More reviews, the better.**

 **Enjoy~!**

 _Silence filled the air. Fingers fiddled endlessly at the hem of her skirt. Emerald eyes stared down at the floor as she faced a girl that was a year older than her. This was the time…the time to confess her feelings for her sempai._

 _"S-sempai…" she said, softly. "I-I've always liked you from the moment I saw you. S-so…please…will you go out with me…?"_

 _But the older girl's only response was, "Listen, young lady. I prefer girls more beautiful than you."_

 _The younger brunette stood there, petrified. She couldn't believe that the one girl she had liked all along…called her "ugly". She felt like crawling in a very deep hole and never coming out. After that confession, the brunette went out looking for something to hide her face._

 ****Present, Gessen Girl's Academy****

"Did you hear about this one girl?"

"Who?"

"Her name is…Murakumo-san. And she wears this terrifying mask."

"T-terrifying!? Onee-chan, don't scare me like that!"

"It's true, Tsukasa. I've also heard rumors about why she wears a mask."

"L-like what?"

"First off, I heard that if you take off her mask, it'll reveal something horrible, like she's a demon under that."

"D-d-d-demon!? I don't want to see that!" The short haired violet haired girl clings on with her sister.

"I'm sorry, but it's true. Other girls say that her face was disfigured from an accident and it was so horrible that they had to cover her face. No one will know what her face looked like because it's so terrifying."

"St-stop it, Onee-chan! No more! No more!"

Just then as they turn around to walk exit the bathroom, the younger sister drops her pencil from her bag. Footsteps approach the two of them and a deep voice makes them stop and turn around.

"U-um…you dropped this."

The two sisters take a look at the hanya mask and quickly run away.

"WE'RE SORRY!"

"U-um…" The girl, Murakumo, just stands there frozen. _They always apologize to me, for some strange reason,_ she thinks.

 ****Bathroom****

"I hear that she talks in this deep voice when she's wearing her mask," one girl says while she puts on her make up. "It's to make her sound more terrifying."

"Really?" another says. "Then, she _is_ a demon from behind that mask!

"Or worse…her horribly disfigured face! Girls never, ever, EVER try and take the mask off because of that."

"I'm not going to do it, either! That sounds even more scary than what you said earlier!"

Then, they hear the bathroom stall creaking open and reveals Murakumo standing there, making the two girls tremble in fear.

"The stall is open," the brunette says as she gestures her hand towards it. "You can go in."

But the girls just take off running, never looking back. Murakumo stands there petrified yet again. _I'm sorry, but…that's not exactly who I am,_ she thinks. _I just…can't show my face to anyone. And I'm never going to show it…ever._

 ****Next Day****

 _People are afraid of me all the time,_ she thinks to herself as she walks toward Gessen Girl's Academy. _I want to make friends…but I'll just be friendly with the mask on._ _No taking it off._ She sees a couple girls in front of her. _I'll do my best today._

She approaches them and tells them, "Good morning!" And then quickly walks ahead. _I think that was cheerful enough…maybe?_ she thinks. She then looks up to see another girl in front of her. She has long blonde hair with ruby red eyes.

 _It's Shiki-san!_ she thinks. She stops to admire the girl as she talks on her phone. _She may be on her phone most of the time, but other times, she's the center of attention._

The blonde takes notice, ends the call and greet her with a smile. "Good morning, Muracchi~!"

This makes Murakumo want to jump for joy. _She's so nice!_ she thinks. _To think she'd greet me the same way she does others~!_ She decides to do the same. "G-good mor-" But before she can finish, Shiki is already walking away with another girl with green hair approaching her.

 _Shiki-san is the complete opposite of me,_ Murakumo continues her thoughts. _She's very beautiful, so that's why all the girls gather around her._

She remembers the day when she first met Shiki during the time at the entrance ceremony.

 ****Flashback****

 _Murakumo was walking down the path when she noticed the blonde standing there alone like a lost sheep. She was wearing the same uniform as her. She decided to help this girl out since she's going to the same school. So, the shy girl slowly approached the blonde._

 _"U-um…excuse me?" Murakumo said. "If you're looking for Gessen Girls' Academy, it's over there." She pointed toward her left._

 _The blonde looked at where Murakumo pointed. And then, she turns to her with a smile on her face._

 _"Thank you very much," she said._

 _Murakumo was surprised by this. Usually, the other girls would turn and run, but this girl didn't. It's like she didn't even notice the mask._

 ****End of Flashback****

 _Since that day,_ Murakumo thinks. _I've admired Shiki-san. I hope that someday…I can be like her._

Shiki writes something on the board and turns toward the class. "Alright, the sign up sheet is up here if anyone wants to participate in our special event: 'Test of Courage'. Like, don't hesitate to join. Everyone can, like, join~!"

 _"Everyone"?_ Murakumo thinks. _So that means…_

"I wonder if that masked girl is coming," a dark haired girl asks.

"Hey, if she does show up," another girl with blonde hair with blue ribbons on top says. "She'll be like a girl that's going to a halloween party."

Murakumo gasps at this. _No! I-I can't come if they're going to insist on me taking off that mask! Or better yet…if I did come…they'll just run away scared…_

After that's done, the teacher goes up to the front of the class. "When the closing entrance ceremony ends, summer break starts. But that also means summer classes begin."

The whole class groans.

"What? Some of you are taking those anyways. So, I need a volunteer who would be willing to take some time off from their summer to help me with the preparations." The teacher looks around. "If no one wants to volunteer, I'll just pick someone."

Murakumo, who is sitting in the back, looks around and notices that no one is raising their hand. _No one wants to do it?_ she thinks. She slowly raises her hand.

"U-ummm…ma'am?" she says. "If it's okay, I don't mind doing it…"

"Really?" the teacher says. "Alright. Put your name down, Murakumo-san."

However, Shiki raises her hand as well. "Ma'am, Muracchi is always doing the jobs around here. I don't think it's, like, necessary for her to do everything that no one wants to do."

"Then, do you want to take her place, Shiki-san?"

The blonde nods. "I guess, like, I'll do it."

 _Wait…she noticed?_ Murakumo thinks. _She noticed…that I've been working?_ She is glad that the blonde is defending her, but for Shiki doing all the hard work…

"Ma'am," the brunette stands up from her desk. "I really…don't have any plans for the summer. So I'll volunteer."

The sound of her deep voice makes the teacher a bit frightened. "W-well, okay."

One of the girls whisper to Shiki, "Whew! That was a close on, Shiki-san!"

 _I can't believe she noticed,_ Murakumo thinks. _To notice a shy girl doing hard work around the school. She is a very nice person and really makes my day…_

 ****Front Garden****

Murakumo is watering the flowers when she hears a happy voice calling her.

"Murakumo-chan!" a girl with medium length dark brown hair tied in a small pony-tail approaches her.

"Oh, Asuka-san," Murakumo turns to her. "It's been a while."

"We're in different classes after all," Asuka says.

"How are you getting along with your classmates? There's no one from your old schools, right?"

"Yes, but…well…there's this girl named Shiki-san and…"

"Ah~! You mean that talkative girl~!"

"Umm…talkative is an understatement," Murakumo says. "I say she's attractive." She shakes her head. "No. More like an Attractive Party Girl."

The shy girl hears her friend gasp and realizes that the blonde is watching from the window. Murakumo blushes from embarrassment. _Sh-Shiki-san…?_

Asuka grabs her by the shoulder and pulls her close. "This is bad! She totally heard that! You should apologize!"

"Huh? Apologize?" Then it hits her. _EEEEHHH!?_ she thinks. _I was just complimenting her, but I guess she misunderstood me!?_

"Hey, what you said," Shiki starts. "Like, how should I interpret that?"

Murakumo stares at her for a bit before speaking up. "As…as a compliment."

"Eh!?" Asuka is suprised to hear her friend say that.

There is a pause for a second before Shiki starts chuckling. "Right on~!"

The shy girl gasps softly.

"I'll be over there in a second, so wait right here," the blonde says.

"Eh?"

"We never really had a chance to talk," Shiki says as she turns around to leave.

"U-ummm…" Murakumo honestly doesn't know what to say or how to respond to that.

"Aren't you happy, Murakumo-chan?" Asuka says. "I heard that Shiki-chan can't stand it when a student doesn't fit in with the rest of the class. I'm all good then. Catch you later!"

With that, she turns and leaves. However, Murakumo just stands there as the wind blows past her, making her side pony-tail sway. _She's…she's an amazing person!_ she thinks. _She believed me when I told her what I meant!_

Shiki comes over towards the garden and the two begin talking. While doing that, Murakumo still stares at the blonde beauty. It's the first time she's with Shiki this close, if not the first time they first met.

Shiki giggles. "I'm so glad. I thought at first you didn't like me."

"Eh? I could never dislike you," Murakumo says, still trying to retain her deep voice. "I've…always dreamed of being really attractive like you. Always…"

Shiki shakes her head as she rubs her chin. "But…you know, I'm not, like, that attractive as you think I am."

"But you are!" the shy girl says. "You really are…beautiful…"

"Then, I should say the same thing about you," Shiki says as she turns to me. "Muracchi…I think it's about time I saw your true face."

 _Wh-wh-what!?_ Murakumo thinks. _Is she…for real!?_

"I've heard nasty rumors about you," the blonde continues. "But…I just want to see it for myself. There's no way that your face is that horrible to some people." She walks over and reaches her hand out towards her.

Murakumo whimpers as she backs away a little.

"Muracchi, it's okay," She says softly. "Like, stay still and let me see your face." She gently takes the mask off and her red eyes widen at the sight of a very cute face.

Murakumo trembles as her emerald eyes stare into Shiki's ruby eyes. The blonde smiles.

"You look…very adorable," she says. "Why hide such a cute face?" She gently rubs one of her cheeks.

"U-ummm…I…" Murakumo's deep voice is now gone and it reverts to a soft, high pitched voice. "I…I don't know what to say…"

"You gave me a compliment right? Now, it's my turn. Your face…is, like, definitely the most adorable thing I've ever seen."

The shy girl blushes heavily from that. _This is…the first time in years that someone has called me that,_ she thinks. _She's…she's the only one that doesn't think ill of me because of my face. And it's the first time…I felt so happy…_

"Say, you should come to that event, Muracchi," Shiki says. "I would love it if you were there. You're very brave when talking to other people. So, that's the reason why I want you do come."

Murakumo nods. _But…will I be able to go when there's people around?_ she thinks as she walks in the halls towards her homeroom classroom. _Maybe I should write it in secret…_ Her mask is back on just in case there are other people around.

But as she arrives, to her surprise, her two classmates are there, discussing something.

"Huh? Murakumo-san?" the dark haired girl questions.

"Yeah! Yeah!" the cheerful blonde girl replies. "The event will go so much better if someone were to be a scary person. I'm sure Murakumo-san will scare people off just standing there~!"

Just then, the two girls jump in surprise by the sound of Murakumo's deep voice.

"Ummm…" the shy girl mumbles.

"H-how long have you been there!?" the dark haired girl asks.

"I was…wondering…" Murakumo says. "If I could play as the scary person."

The two girls were shocked about her request.

"Well…" the dark haired girl says. "You don't have to force yourself."

"We'd feel kinda bad if you didn't really want to do it," the blonde says.

Murakumo is disappointed that they rejected her offer. But her mind thinks back on what Shiki told her.

 _"You're very brave when talking to other people."_

"Listen," Murakumo says. "I've…never done anything I didn't want to do. I always wanted to get along with everyone. It makes me happy that I could be of use…" She turns around and raises her trembling hands toward her mask. "A-and…sorry, but…my face…it's not really…disfigured…"

"Huh?" the two girls lean closer with eyebrows raised.

Murakumo takes off the mask and tosses it to the floor. She then slowly turns around, revealing her cute face to them.

"I'm…really…like this…" the shy girl says, with her soft high pitched voice.

The two girls stare at her face in amazement. From the rumors they heard, they didn't even THINK about seeing her face for themselves to see if it was true or not.

"Wow!" the dark haired girl says, excitedly. "That is just…so adorable~! It took you THIS long to admit that!?"

"Huh!?" Murakumo is confused.

"You're so weird, Murakumo-san~!" she laughs. "What do you think, Katsuragi?" She sees the blonde crying happy tears. "Wh-what's with the tears!?"

"She's so cute, I can't help myself!" she says.

"Boy, you're weird, too," the dark haired girl says with an eyebrow raised.

"Anyways, we're counting on you to put up the best scary act of all time, Murakumo-san!" the blonde says. "This is between the three of us, so go scare them as you please!"

Murakumo nods to the girls, who introduce themselves as Katsuragi and Ikaruga. _I can't believe it. I was able to get through with them,_ she thinks. _Even though it was just a little, I feel like I was able to change._ She goes over and puts her name on the sign up sheet for the "Test of Courage". _Shiki-san…it's all thanks to you._

* * *

 **A/N: And I'll end this one here. What is the Test of Courage, you ask? Just a fun event for who can be brave enough to get through some obstacles. That's just made up, from me of course. Hehe~! You'll kinda understand in the next chapter.**

 **Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review~! ;)**


	2. Test of Courage and Summer Break

**Chapter 2**

 **Test of Courage and Summer Break**

The night of the Test of Courage finally arrives. A crowd of people are gathered in the park, chatting away. The test has already begun and a few pairs were already on their way towards the path they're supposed to go. The objective of this test is to walk deep into the forest, look for an item and then head back with it. There were about 10 items hidden within the forest and some people couldn't find them, either because they're too scared or just given up. The forest is pretty dark after all.

"Every ten minutes, a new pair will head out!" the teacher calls.

Katsuragi and Ikaruga look around.

"Looks like everyone's here," Katsuragi says. "I guess Murakumo-san didn't show up."

"Actually, Murakumo-san is-" The dark haired girl gets cut off when the blonde quickly puts her hand on her mouth.

"Shhh!" she says. "Didn't I say it was a secret?"

Shiki stands there, holding a paper in her hand. Everyone's paired up with someone, but her. She knows that Murakumo didn't show up after all and decides to go in the forest alone.

 ****Meanwhile****

Murakumo walks in the forest with her hanya mask on and hides behind a tree. She takes a peek to see if some people will come. _I want everyone to have a great time,_ she thinks. _I'll do my best_!

"It's so dark, Onee-chan," one girl says.

"I'll have to admit, I'm actually getting scared, too, Tsukasa," another says.

The two violet haired girls walks deeper into the forest with the younger sister clinging onto her older sister. The pig-tailed girl flashes her light to see if there were hidden items around here. Just then, she sees a pair of legs. With a terrified look, she slowly raises her flashlight to see a girl with a pony-tail. The girl slowly turns her head, revealing her hanya mask. The two sisters scream and run away. Murakumo just stands there for a moment, watching the girls run. A secret smile appears on her face.

 _I think they liked it~!_ she thinks.

And so, Murakumo keeps on doing her thing, scaring off every girl that walks into the forest. The crowd that's waiting can hear the girls's screams from a mile away.

"Wh-what were those screams?" one asks.

"I-I don't think I'm going in there!" another says.

Ikaruga and Katsuragi secretly give each other the thumbs up. And meanwhile, Murakumo pops her head out from behind another tree. Behind her mask, she is smiling with glee.

 _I'm so happy~!_ she thinks. _I'm actually being useful to everyone! Maybe if I put in more movement into it, they'll be in for a real surprise._

She hides behind another tree when she hears some footsteps. She then pops out of the tree with her hands up, like she's going to scratch someone. But she gasps at what she sees.

"WAH!" Shiki backs away a step. "M-Muracchi!?"

"Ah! Shiki-san!"

"What are you doing here?"

Murakumo slowly takes off her mask. "I-I was playing as a scary person…"

The blonde sighs heavily. "You should've told me. I'm, like, the coordinator for the time being, after all. I thought you weren't coming."

Murakumo averts her eyes. "I…I didn't want to make you look less cool…"

Shiki tilts her head to the side. "Eh? What are you talking about? Aren't you scared going out by yourself?"

"No. I enjoy the nighttime. Especially summer nights." The brunette looks around for a bit. "The air…the scent…the sound of wind rustling through the leaves…the insects…" She turns back towards the blonde, who is smiling.

"You're right," she says.

Murakumo smiles back at her.

"It's pretty good out here," Shiki continues. "Would you mind if I stayed with you?"

"Eh!? But…what about the event?"

Shiki sighs again as she digs into her skirt pocket. "Because a _certain_ someone, like, didn't show up, there was an odd number of people. And I had to go alone." She holds up the paper that reads, **"Sucks to be you, no flashlights, go alone"** and so on.

Murakumo is surprised that people actually told Shiki this. And she did have a point, too. Most of the girls Murakumo saw, they were all paired up. But…why wouldn't anyone want to pair up with Shiki? That's what Murakumo wanted to ask, but decides not to. She then finds herself sitting next to the blonde while watching the stars.

"Murakumo-san!" a voice calls from behind them.

The brunette turns to see two girls walking towards them.

"Katsuragi-san!" she says. "Ikaruga-san!"

"Eh?" the dark haired girl says. "What's Shiki-san doing here?"

Shiki frowns. "If you girls knew about this, you should've, like, told me."

Katsuragi smirks and leans over towards her. "My, aren't you so lady-like~"

"Attractive Party Girl's are so amazing~!" Ikaruga joins in the laughter.

Shiki blushes. "Cut it out already!"

Katsuragi turns to the brunette. "Murakumo-san, great job tonight. Here, drink up." She tosses her a bottled water.

"Thank you so much!" Murakumo says. As she watches them walk away, she smiles. _They're so kind!_ she thinks.

Shiki is smiling at her as well. "Looks like you're beginning to open up to others. I'm glad."

 _Opening up?_ "Really?" The brunette clutches the bottle in her hands. "I-it's all thanks to you, Shiki-san!"

"I haven't done a thing."

"No. I wouldn't have been able to express my feelings if it weren't for you. I'm glad I took this job."

The blonde gives her a gentle smile. "You're actually pretty cheerful, don't you think? Hehe~! Like, you're really optimistic!"

"I'm…cheerful? That's the first time anyone's every said that to me."

The two stare at each other for what it seems like minutes until Shiki blushes and quickly buries her head in her knees.

"AH! I'm so sorry!" Murakumo cries. "I got too carried away…"

"No, that's not what I mean," Shiki says, leaving her head hidden. "It's, like…embarrassing. Don't make me say it…"

And then, there is silence except for some insects making noise. Murakumo just stares at the blonde and then looks at the grass. _She stopped talking,_ she thinks. _I don't know what to do. It feels like my heart is a complete mess. I feel reborn._ She looks up at the dark sky. _There are…so many new feelings I've never experienced before. It seems like Shiki-san is introducing me to many new things. I'm…so glad I was able to meet her._

The two girls remain sitting there for the rest of the night, enjoying the silence.

 ****Next Day****

"Yay!" one girl says excitedly. "It's summer break!"

"Well then, let's announce the results of the Test of Courage before we head out," another says. She turns to Shiki. "First things first…Shiki, you're getting a penalty. You didn't even finish!"

"You noticed?" the blonde asks.

"You came in first, Kurumi," another girl says. "Your prize is sixty scrubbing brushes."

"What kind of prize is that, Karinka!?"

Murakumo, who has her mask back on, just stands there, listening to the conversation.

"And Shiki!" the first girl says. "Your penalty for not finishing is…"

Another girl pushes Murakumo towards the blonde. "You get to date Murakumo-chan for a week~!"

 _What did she just say!?_ Murakumo thinks.

"I heard you were with Murakumo-san last night, Shiki," Karinka says. "I bet she was making a move on you~"

"You guys should totally hook up~!" Kurumi says.

Murakumo stands there, shocked. Everyone wants _her_ to date Shiki as a penalty?

"I will do anything _but_ that," Shiki says.

Everyone, including Murakumo, gasps in shock.

"That's, like, awfully rude as a penalty," the blonde continues. "You all know that Muracchi is a girl, too. That's not, like funny." She turns towards the brunette. "Don't let this get to you, Muracchi."

All the girls stare at the blonde in shock.

"Shiki-san…" a girl with shoulder length brown hair says, softly. "Could it be…that you like, Murakumo-san?"

"Saki…"

The blonde bites her lip and looks away, but her red eyes still focus on Murakumo. But Murakumo just shakes her head a little. _No…_ she thinks. _You can't stand up for me. Otherwise…Shiki-san…your reputation will be…_

"It's a misunderstanding!" Murakumo says, making everyone be quiet. "Yes, I was with Shiki-san last night. But that's not…anything special like you all are thinking. It was only because Shiki-san is willing to talk to anybody. It's alright. It's also true that I was attracted to Shiki-san's beauty and cheerfulness. That's…how it is." The brunette walks toward the door and bows. "P-please excuse me."

All the girls watch Murakumo walk out the door. Shiki blushes and a small smile appears on her face.

At the school halls, Murakumo keeps on walking without looking back. _I did the right thing,_ she thinks. _I'm sure the misunderstanding was cleared up. I didn't tell a single lie. I only told the truth. I'm sure I was able to protect Shiki-san's reputation._

 ****Next Day****

"Eh?" Murakumo's mother says as she sees her daughter in her school uniform. "Even though it's summer vacation?"

"Yes," the brunette replies. "I need to help out my teacher."

"Be careful," Murakumo's father says.

"I will. Bye."

Murakumo walks outside and on the path towards the school. _That's right,_ she thinks again. _I…I know I did the right thing._ She stops for a second and takes off her mask. She stares at it for a minute until tears start to drop on it. _B-but…even so…I'm so lonely. I may never be able to look at her in the eye after we get back from summer vacation. He may never smile and say, "Good morning" to me again. She may…she may start to avoid me._ As she thinks this, she starts wiping her tears while the image of Shiki appears in her head. _I thought I was used to all those things and yet…the last few days of my life have been so wonderful; I forgot all about it._ She also thinks back at the time when her senpai called her "ugly" and how it made her feel very insecure and afraid that she cannot show her face to anyone. From that day on, she's been feeling lonely ever since. The thought of Shiki never speaking to her again made her sad.

However, her thoughts prove her wrong when she looks up to see the blonde girl leaning against the tree with a smile on her face and her arms are crossed.

 _Why?_ Murakumo thinks. _It's summer break already._

"Hey," Shiki says softly. "Everyone felt bad. So, they apologized." She hands her a small bag of cookies with a note saying, **"Sorry, Murakumo-san. Please forgive us.**

 **—Your classmates"**

A new batch of tears fall from Murakumo's eyes as she clutches the bag towards her chest. She feels so happy that everyone was nice enough to apologize to her.

"The misunderstanding was cleared up, right?" she asks. "You stood up for me and then you came all this way to give this to me." She wipes her tears, although, they are still falling. "And…and…you're still willing to talk to me…I really appreciate it."

"Muracchi," Shiki says softly. "I have a feeling, like, you don't really understand me."

"Ah, d-don't worry about me!" Murakumo says. "I understand how you feel, Shiki-san!"

"No, you don't." Shiki's smile remains on her face as she says this. "Is it all right if I expect…that we'll see each other over the summer, too?"

Murakumo blushes at this. And as Shiki stares at the brunette, she thinks back on when they first met.

 _Back then,_ Shiki thinks. _When I first met you, Muracchi…that feeling…in my heart. This feeling which as since then continued to grow…I wonder if my heart will reach you someday. Because…I think I'm in love with you…Muracchi._

* * *

 **A/N: Well~! Here's the second chapter for you all! Sorry for the super late update! And if you can guess the cameos, that'll be excellent, if not, here's the answers~!**

 **Kagami and Tsukasa - Lucky Star**

 **Kurumi and Karinka - Steel Angel Kurumi**

 **I do not own either of those or their characters.**


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